April 25-26: Janavaras International Business Conference

Mankato, Minn. – Several accomplished business leaders will speak at the April 25-26 Janavaras International Business Conference, presented by Minnesota State University, Mankato’s College of Business at the Courtyard by Marriott in Mankato.

The conference will honor Basil Janavaras (pictured at right), Minnesota State Mankato professor of marketing and international business, who is retiring at the end of June. The conference will provide an opportunity to celebrate Janavaras’ long career at Minnesota State Mankato and to discuss international business topics.

Cost for the dinner and conference is $100 per person. A portion of the fee ($40 tax deductible) will go towards the Basil Janavaras International Business Scholarship Fund. RSVPs are requested by April 17. Conference participants receive a discounted rate of $89.99 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Mankato. Call the reservation line at 507-388-1234 and mention the COB/Basil Event rate.

To register for the conference and see the full schedule and speaker list, please click here, or call 507-389-3235.

The event begins Thursday, April 25 with a 6:30 p.m. dinner (registration at 5:30 p.m.) that features keynote speaker Sandra Renner, president of Global Resource Associates and chair of the Minnesota Direct Export Council. Renner’s address is titled “Going Global: The Case of Minnesota Institutions.”

The April 25 dinner will also feature comments from the Minnesota State Mankato College of Business Dean Brenda Flannery, four of Janavaras’ former students and comments from Janavaras.

On Friday, April 26, there will be a half-day conference that includes keynote presentations by Ted Anderson, president and CEO of BondCote Corporation in Pulaski, Va., and Paul Rasmussen, president and CEO of Zepol Corporation in Edina, Minn. Anderson’s address is titled “Doing Business in China: Sourcing Strategies,” while Rasmussen will address “Trends in Minnesota Exports and Imports.”

Following Friday’s keynote presentations, there will be two panel discussions on “International Business/Trade Strategies and Practices.”